Matte box on fisheye lens..?

[Peer Landa]

I wonder if anyone has experience with using matte boxes on wide lenses -- I'm planning to use a french flagged matte box on my 15mm lens, but worry that perhaps the lens is too wide.

-- peer

[Dan Brockett]

I would be very surprised if you did NOT get major vignetting using any fisheye and any matte box. Matte boxes are mainly to hold filters and to keep reflected and direct light off of the lens of the camera. Since fisheye lenses usually bulge outward in varying degrees, you won't be able to use filters as the lens element will probably be in the way and I doubt of the sides and top of the matte box will provide any shade that would be effective.

In short, use a fisheye on its own, that is how they are designed.

Dan

[Peer Landa]

Originally Posted by Dan Brockett

I would be very surprised if you did NOT get major vignetting using any fisheye and any matte box.

Well, it's not really a fisheye but more like a very wide lens. Since I haven't gotten a matte box yet I was wondering if there might be some boxes that could actually handle such a wide lens.

Here's the lens in question: http://www.warehouseexpress.com/webc...24/1010926.jpg

-- peer

[Dan Brockett]

15mm on a full frame camera is definitely going to vignette with any matte box.

Dan

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Peer Landa

Well, it's not really a fisheye but more like a very wide lens. Since I haven't gotten a matte box yet I was wondering if there might be some boxes that could actually handle such a wide lens.

Here's the lens in question: http://www.warehouseexpress.com/webc...24/1010926.jpg

-- peer

That lens _is_ a fisheye. It is possible to have a lens arounds that focal length that is a regular ultra-wide angle but it has extra optics to correct the bulging fisheye look. For example Canon make a 14mm ultra-wide & a 15mm fisheye.

Cheers

Nigel